Old Friends, New Games
by Love-Aine
Summary: College!kids and trolls. Except it's an AU where everyone is human, though pretty much the same crazy bunch. Includes: JohnXKarkat for sure ...aaaand other pairings I haven't decided on yet because I have no clue where this is going. Haha.
1. Chapter 1

It had been several years since he had even seen Karkat, at least. Last John had heard, Karkat had gone through his high school career in those "special" classes- you know, the ones where the kids are pretty much on permanent lockdown within the school because the teachers think they're too violent or whatnot to be with "normal" kids. Karkat had gotten though a week of regular classes his freshman year before going off on a teacher, the language of such outburst not suitable for any polite company.

That had been when John had been about thirteen. Now he was 18, the same goofy grin of his innocence plastered on his face as he caught sight of his old friend walking across the college campus. "Karkat!" he hollered, clutching his messenger bag as he broke into a run.

The other boy turned with a small jump, obviously not expecting to be ambushed. As John ran up, Karkat narrowed dark eyes and sneered.

"Karkat! I haven't seen you in ages!" John wheezed, slapping a hand on Karkat's shoulder. "I didn't know that you went here!"

Karkat was a few inches shorter than the panting, gangly John. He had to tilt his chin to glare at the spectacled boy. A strand of ginger hair fell into his eye, but he ignored it. Only girls and sissy fuckasses swept back their hair.

"Who the fuck are you?" he growled.

John appeared taken aback for a moment, but then just laughed.

"John. John Egbert, remember?"

"Obviously not."

"Oh come on," John nudged. "Middle school? We hung out together all the time! Like, at lunch and stuff."

Karkat gave a weak shrug and turned away. "What ever you say."

As Karkat walked away, John trotted to his side.

"We should definitely catch lunch today. We haven't seen each other since pretty much eighth grade. I mean, it's pretty awesome you came here of all places. It seems everyone did, like Terezi and Eridan and that weird guy Equius..."

"If I agree to meet you for lunch or some shit where you can stuff your fucking noise-hole, will you shut up right now?"

John laughed. "Okay. Meet me in front of the library at 12:15."

Karkat nodded and grumbled something incoherent before slipping away into a crowd of other students.

John waved and called "Later!" as he checked his watched. "Shit!" he swore, realizing there were only five minutes before the start of Biology.

He ran, sneakers squeaking on the linoleum as he skidded into the science wing two minutes later. His best bro, Dave, was leaning against the wall just outside of their professor's door, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Sup." John gasped for breath. "Isn't class about to start?"

"Yeah. I'm enjoying what freedom I have remaining for the hour."

John grinned. "You'll never guess who I saw! Remember Karkat from middle school?"

"Vantas?"

"Yeah! Well, apparently he goes here now too. Isn't that cool?"

Dave shrugged, expressionless behind his shades. He straightened up from the wall and led the way into the classroom.

"That's kind of weird, man. I wouldn't peg him as the kind to bother with college."

John set down his bag on the lab table. "I'll ask him. We have a lunch date today. Er, no homo."

"Whatever you say."

Class started with a lecture on mitosis. John tapped his fingers against the counter, anticipating when 12 would roll by. Even though they hadn't been particularly close, he and Karkat were on good enough terms to be considered friends at one point. He had to admit that the kid was pretty unsociable, but John saw the attitude as just a unique personality quirk. He wondered how Karkat had been doing these past several years. It was like he had suddenly dropped off the face of the earth since the beginning of high school.

John looked up from his scribbled-on notebook to see Vriska, another friend, shooting him a dirty look from the lab table in front of his and Dave's. She jerked her head to motion at his hand, which was still tapping away. He stopped immediately with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry," he mouthed.

She turned her head back to the teacher, leaving John to tap his foot on his chair to imaginary music. The minutes crept by, ticking down monotonously until it finally reached 12. A boring lab came to a close with Dave saving everything on a USB and promising to get around to finishing it eventually.

"Go on," he said. "I got this. You're driving me crazy. I'll see you later, man. Remember, we've gotta check out that new game at the mall tonight."

"Okay, thanks! And yeah, I remember!"

John grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulder so enthusiatically, it just barely avoided whacking a passing student. He was too excited to notice. As he ran out the door, Dave pocketed the USB and shook his head. Even if John was his best bro, the kid could be the giddiest little shit to ever walk the earth.


	2. Chapter 2

To say he wasn't at least a little surprised would be a lie. John's face cracked into an absurdly wide smile at the sight of Karkat sitting under an elm, book unfolded in his lap. Karkat had actually showed up. Early, even. John built up speed with each stride, trotting to the other boy. Before Karkat could even look up, John had flopped onto the grass beside him.

"Whatcha readin'?" John asked, craning his neck so he could look into the other's lap.

With a start, Karkat slammed the book shut and stuffed it behind his back. But not before John had caught a glimpse.

"Nicolas Sparks?" the boy giggled.

Karkat's face flushed to the tips of his ears nearly as bright as his hair. He sneered, glaring daggers.

"It's none of your fucking business." He stood up, throwing his bag across his shoulders from the grass and hastily cramming the book in. "But if you're going to be a prick about it, I'll just go."

"No, no!"

John grabbed Karkat's arm - well, at least part of his overly-large sweater. He pulled him back, letting go as Karkat reeled.

"Please," he said, folding his hands together, "I didn't mean anything! Plus, I wasn't expecting you to show up early." He tried to steer the conversation to something less offensive to his companion. "Were you waiting long?"

Karkat turned away, hunched. "It doesn't matter. It's not like I had anything to do."

"Well that's good, I guess," John said. "So where do you want to go?"

"This was your fucking idea. Why can't you decide?"

"Oh, okay. Hm... Applebees is close by."

"I don't think-"

John slapped a hand on Karkat's shoulder. "My treat."

The redhead thought for a moment, a little uneasy under John's touch. After several seconds, he nodded.

"Great!" John exclaimed. "We can take my car."

John led the way, occasionally having to stop and wait for the lagging Karkat, whose pace was not nearly as enthusiastic. They got into the car: an old model that used to be John's father's. It was turning into quite the junker, but it got the job done. Anyways, John mostly rode with Dave in Dave's graduation present Mustang.

The engine rattled to life, jostling the entire vehicle. Karkat cursed when his seatbelt jammed, giving up after two tries and crossing his arms. John laughed and reached over him, buckling the seatbelt himself.

"I'm not a fucking child, John!"

John looked up after the seatbelt clicked. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean it like that. This car is just tricky."

He did his own seatbelt and checked his mirrors for anyone else in the student parking lot. Teenage drivers were the worst, he thought. Not that John was that great of a driver himself. He just didn't trust being behind the wheel with other teens around. After the hazard of the parking lot, the ride was smooth, save for the car threatening to stall at a few red lights. John tried to have a conversation, but mostly talked AT Karkat.

When they pulled into the restaurant, Karkat jumped out, slamming the car door behind him.

"Table for two, please," John announced to the hostess when they got inside.

"Would you like a table or booth?" the woman asked with a practiced smile.

"Booth," Karkat mumbled quickly.

"Right this way."

They were seated and given menus, Karkat huddled in the very corner of the booth.

"I'll have a strawberry lemonade," John said. "What do you want, Karkat?"

"Um, yeah, that too I guess."

The waitress disappeared to get their drinks while they chose their meal. The restaurant was noisy and crowded. John was surprised they had been seated so quickly. Karkat must be a good luck charm, he thought.

"So, what do you like here?" John asked.

Karkat shrugged.

"Oh come on. There has to be SOMETHING."

Karkat glared. "I've never been here before. It's not that big of a fucking deal."

John's mouth hung open. "Never been to an Applebees? That's just un-American." With his chest puffed out and that too-familiar grin, he said, "Then mind if I order for you?"

Karkat put his menu aside. "Fine. I don't care."

When the waitress returned, John ordered an appetizer sampler along with a plate of nachos. Karkat sipped hesitantly on the tangy drink, brandishing it as "alright" and watched as the other boy rambled on about their middle school days. When the food came, it disappeared quickly under the hands of the two teenage boys. Karkat ate ravenously, never before tasting something that wasn't bought at the dollar store (though he would never admit it).

"Wow," John said, slurping down the rest of the lemonade. "I guess no one can resist the sweet call of Applebees. Room for dessert?"

Karkat could almost feel his stomach bulge from his jeans. But if there could be more food as delicious... Well, he could have at least a little room left.

Two brownie ala modes and a check later, Karkat was in tastebud heaven and the two were waddling to the parking lot.

"We should hang out sometime again," John said, plopping down in his seat.

Karkat wrinkled his nose. "Listen, I don't really need some fuckass trying to be my best friend or anything. Thanks for today, but you said you'd stop this bothering shit if I had lunch with you."

"Hey, do you like computer games?" John asked, choosing to ignore the remark.

"Are you that much of a fucking moron?" Karkat seethed. He glared at John, who continued to look at him with a friendly expression. "Yeah," he sighed, leaning his head back on the rest, "I only have like the first Sims and some SimCity games that I found in a dollar bin."

"That's awesome! Have you heard about the new game that's coming out tonight? It's called Alternia and supposedly, it's like the best one out this year!"

"Yeah, I've heard of it."

"Well, are you gonna get it?"

"No, not like it fucking matters. I'm saving for school," he mumbled, looking out the window as John started the engine. "Look, I've got another class in thirty minutes. Just drop me off on campus."

"Oh... Okay."

Even John was quiet on the way back to campus as they listened to the radio. Karkat said nothing when they arrived, only roughly slammed the door behind him when he exited.

Later that night at five til Midnight, John and Dave stood outside of Gamestop with a surprisingly small crowd, some of which they recognized as classmates. Even two kids from the swimteam were there, the man of the two looking very displeased. One guy John remebered being in the robotics team was there, speaking quietly with a small girl who had been in John's environmental class during high school.

"Dude, you guys were never that great of friends," Dave said. "So drop it. If he's gonna be a dick, let him."

"I think he's just... misunderstood. Like a caged tiger."

"Whoa," Dave said with a smirk, pushing his sunglasses up with the pad of his thumb even though it was the middle of night. (It was one of his "ironic" trademarks.) "How does that metaphor make sense?"

John contorted his hands while he spoke, trying to emphasize his point. "Like, he was a caged tiger, all beat down and broken. And he's been suddenly released into the wild again where he's still scared and defensive. But in the inside, he wants to be the majestic, cuddly beast he once was."

"Deep, man. How do you think of this shit?"

Suddenly, eveyone's attention was brought to the store clerk unlocking the front door. Within minutes, the display of the new game was snatched nearly barren.

John stood at the display as Dave was already making his purchase. He held a copy in his hand, flipping it over contemplatively. To soothe a not-so-savage beast...

Grabbing a second copy, he went to the register.

"Just these two, please."


End file.
